Hardly a day goes by without someone asking us how to price hybrid jobs.
It’s one of the most common questions in compensation. And it’s hard to answer.
Hybrid jobs show up everywhere. High-turnover environments. After a recent downsizing.
Consider this: a senior employee retires and their responsibilities get absorbed. We’ve worked with hundreds of HR teams. We can’t count how many times employees have told us they wear “multiple hats” because their company decided not to backfill a role.
Sometimes hybrid roles are created by design. Organizations have highly specific needs the market just doesn’t cover. We’ve seen employers blend a Program Director with an SEO Manager. A Taxonomist with an Administrative Assistant. An HR Director with a Director of IT.
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to pricing hybrid jobs. You can’t always fit a square peg into a round hole. Sometimes you have to accept that the perfect match doesn’t exist.
Simply taking the average market value of two roles isn’t always right either. Pricing hybrid jobs depends on the specific role, your business needs and talent market, and your organization’s pay philosophy.
Looking for the best method, we have several distinct approaches worth considering.
Four ways to price a hybrid job
Before you pick a method, get one thing clear: why does this hybrid role exist? Answering this question shapes everything. Let’s use a real example of an HR Manager/Office Coordinator to walk through your options.
#1. The blending method
Benchmark each job separately, then blend the market data into a composite. If the role has a clear split of responsibilities, weigh each accordingly. For instance: HR Manager at 40% and Office Coordinator at 60%.
This method works best in striking a balance between market competitiveness and internal equity. If it’s hard to find market data for one of the jobs you’re blending, this method can be difficult.
#2. The highest-level role method
Ask yourself: are you hiring an Office Coordinator who handles HR or an HR manager who runs the office? The answer might tell how to price the role.
Sometimes organizations match the role to the higher position. In this, that’s the HR Manager. This approach works best for employers who want to stay competitive in their talent market.
#3. The internal equity method
Sometimes the market just doesn’t give a clear answer. No market match. No blend that feels right.
When this happens, look at your pay structures. Slot the role into your internal structures based on comparable positions. If you use grade-based ranges, find the closest grade. If you use job-based ranges, find the closest role.
This method is a good fallback for organizations that prioritize internal equity. It’s an even better one for organizations that simply can’t find reliable market data.
#4. Premiums and discounts
If you know the market well and understand what specific skills are worth, you can apply a premium to capabilities that fall outside the role.
It works in reverse as well. Maybe your hybrid role maps best to a Director-level position, but its actual scope is closer to a Manager. Apply a 10 – 15% discount to bring it in line.
Payscale at your service
Still stuck on a hybrid job you can’t match?
When a role is too unique to price with confidence, our Compensation Services team can help.
With over 1,000 years of combined compensation expertise, we provide real answers to pricing riddles.
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